Mother
by dodger-chan
Summary: A companion story to the much longer "Roommates." Relates an important incident in the twin's lives before college.


A sort of background explanation on the twins' behavior towards each other in "Roommates."  Shun kept complaining I made his aniki look too mean. 

In spite of  all my intentions, the characters still aren't mine. 

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            Their mother was a bit frazzled when they arrived home from school. Still, she greeted them with a smile and herded them into the kitchen for a snack. With a strained yet not quite unpleasant smile on her face she asked them about their day. The boys were careful not to respond in their own twin speak, but they couldn't help finishing each other's sentences and relating each other's memories. Through it all, their mother smiled and chopped vegetables for diner. Snacks finished, the twins started up to their room. They were stopped by the voice of their mother.

            "Shun, could you help me in here for a few minutes?" Both boys turned around. "No, Kai, you run on ahead. I only need one of you for this. Besides, you're always the one helping, let Shun do his bit."

            For an instant Kai envied his brother. Mother wanted Shun's company. But he was the one who was always offering to help. Shun slacked off, got into trouble, and was still Mother's favorite, being asked to stay in the kitchen. He couldn't hate his younger brother for it, though. Shun hated the attention, did anything he could to avoid it. If Mother hadn't been one of the very few people who could tell them apart at a glance, they would have gladly switched places. He whispered a quick "see you" in twin speak, and left. 

            "See you." Shun whispered back. The twitchy feeling he got in his stomach whenever they were separated started back up. It felt worse than he remembered. Was it just steadily increasing, or was there some added factor to his nerves today? It must just have been Kai's quick dismissal. He hated when his brother was jealous. He couldn't care less if he was their mother's favorite or if Kai was their father's. Except when their father decided to take Kai out on some father-son thing. It wasn't fun, staying in the house, when Kai wasn't there. He tried to peel the carrots faster, wishing to rejoin his older brother as quickly as possible. The carrot peeler dug into his thumb. He watched the blood well up and spill over onto the carrots. 

            "Shit. I guess I ruined these, huh?" If he was only in the way, their mother might let him go to Kai. But she ignored both the ruined carrots and the wound that was now dripping blood on the floor.

            "You don't have to pretend. I know." The peeler clattered to the ground. She couldn't know. His dreams, his nightmares, they were private. Only Kai shared them. And he didn't tell Kai all of them. Their mother could not know.

            "What are you talking about?" Shun wrapped his thumb in a paper towel, watching the red seep to the surface. Their mother had ceased to chop vegetables and was watching him. Her eyes shone with horror.

            "Doppelganger!" 

            "What?" 

            "You tricked me for years, but I know better now. Demon. Doppelganger."  Her right hand, still clutching the knife, trembled with rage. "You played the favored child so perfectly that I forgot. But you couldn't fool me forever, demon. I only had one child. You're just his shadow."

            "No! I am a person." Shun denied it, but in his mind asked himself how she had known. I am a person, he insisted to himself. He backed slowly towards the kitchen door. The paper towel fell from his hand. Unheeded, blood continued to drip onto the floor. Help, he needed to get help. But the only place to get help was his brother, and he couldn't let her see Kai. Normally she could tell them apart, but Shun didn't want to bet Kai's life that she could right now. If anyone was going to get hurt, let it be the pervert, the murderer, the demon. "I am not a demon."

            "You are a parasite. You leach the life of my child; you take the food from his mouth." She had backed Shun through the door and followed him into the hallway. He led her towards the front door. If he got out the door, someone would see her and stop her. Even at the worst, she wouldn't hurt his aniki.

            _Aniki?_

            In his room, Kai's thumb started bleeding. It hurt like he had gouged it, but all he had been doing was watching television. Slightly stunned with the pain and with no idea how he had come to be injured, he started towards the bathroom. In the hall he saw his mother's back, her arm upraised, holding a knife.

            "Mother?"

            "Aniki!" Shun's voice sent the panic straight into Kai's chest. As she lowered the knife, his mother half turned towards him. He saw the blade nick Shun's arm, but felt the pain on his own. He noticed a thin line of blood on his arm. 

            "Kai, go back to your room, dear. Mommy will have this all cleaned up shortly." She suddenly saw the blood. Her eyes widened. "But…you…. You're in his Thrall!"

            Kai could only stare in shock. His mother came towards him, talking quietly to herself. She embraced him, murmuring into his ear.

            "But he is my son. I could never hurt my son."  She repeated the words, her pace and volume rising as she slid her hand around his neck and squeezed. Kai tried to scream, but the pressure blocked his windpipe. He closed his eyes and the pressure released. He felt her hands drop off his neck and an unexpected weight as his mother's body fell into him. 

            Kai opened his eyes and saw blood. His blood, his mother's blood, Shun's blood. The three of them were all soaked in the mix of it. Kai looked at Shun, but Shun was watching the knife in his hand. Their mother hadn't noticed when she'd dropped it. She hadn't seen Shun pick it up off the floor, or follow her down the hall. She had been preoccupied.

            Shun had watched for the knife, waited for it. Standing behind her, he'd watched her embrace his aniki and hated her. She had no right to his aniki's love. None. She had been the one to scare Kai – she could not comfort him. Shun's hand had tightened on the knife. There was nothing he could do. Kai loved their mother deeply; hurting her would hurt him. But then she had tried to kill him.

            Shun froze the instant her hands touched Kai's throat. What he could do to stop her would hurt his aniki. Not stopping her would kill him. Which crime was worse, fratricide or matricide? He could not have let anyone hurt his aniki. 

            Tearing his gaze from the knife, Shun caught his aniki's eyes. They were filled with fear. 

            "I'm so sorry."  Shun dropped the knife and collapsed to the floor, sobbing. Kai's hands twitched, as though he were considering reaching them out to comfort Shun. But there was no comfort for demons. "She couldn't kill you."

There is no peace for the wicked.

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Review already.


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